Sprint Bows Another World-Roaming Smartphone

For those who just have to have Sprint cellular service but still want to be able to roam overseas, a new smartphone from Samsung lets you do both. The ACE is a BlackJack look-alike that can use Sprint's high-speed EV-DO wireless data in the U.S., but also has a SIM card slot and GSM radio for use in Europe and elsewhere.Similar to the BlackJack, the ACE runs the Windows Mobile platform, unofficially WinMo 6.1, which has some minor updates to 6.0. This means you can run all your business productivity apps, including Exchange email, and hundreds of other tools to help you get your job done.

As seems to be standard with Samsung phones these days, it is fairly slim and will easily slip into your pocket. It has all the features you expect to see of a modern smartphone, including a camera, a microSD slot for additional storage, Bluetooth with support for stereo headsets, and of course a full QWERTY keyboard.

On top of the hardware and business features, the ACE can also access Sprint's branded services, such as Sprint TV.

The real unique feature is its dual-radio system. It has both CMDA-EVDO and GSM/GPRS radios on board, essentially two separate cell phones. Both Spring and Verizon have been upping the stock of these dual-radio phones, particularly smartphones for roaming business customers. These types of phones let you access the high-speed 3G networks while also being able to make phone calls when overseas. For people who travel internationally several times per year, the appeal of this system is obvious.

One thing of note. The ACE has only GPRS data for overseas. This is not such great news. It's slower than EDGE, and not very smartphone-friendly. So keep in mind that the phone will work, but not be stellar at data functions.

This phone will cost $200 after rebates and new two-year agreement.